Doctor’s orders.

Despite what the social media POV footage would have us believe, not all trails go straight downhill at mach 4. Truth is, half of what we ride is tighter than a too-small XC jersey and chunkier than your favorite peanut butter, which makes 26in wheels and 150mm of suspension just what the doctor ordered. Accordingly, don’t question the credentials of the RockShox Pike RCT3 Solo Air 150 Fork.

It might seem like every new fork is either in the 160mm enduro or 120mm XC range, but 150mm marks a sweet spot for do-it-all trail riding, and the Pike is still the standard bearer. The Solo Air version doesn’t offer the adjustability of the Dual Position Air, but that’s just fine, because it’s lighter and a whole lot simpler. The RCT3 Charger damper is still highly adjustable, with multiple rebound and compression settings, so you can crush the steepest terrain on the way down, flick a switch, and be ready to power back to the top.

The Pike is renowned for its liveliness—soft and slushy it ain’t—and that’s largely due to the Rapid Recovery feature, which stays on top of the travel even when bumps come fast and furious. The lowers are mega stiff, and a PSI menu printed on the stanchions makes tuning your fork easy as pie.